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THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



They let fish enter the river from the sea and settle there quietly 

 for the winter sojourn. All possible means are used to secure for 

 the fish an unrestricted passage to the upper parts of the river, 

 but not beyond Uralsk, where a railing is constructed across 

 the river to prevent the larger fish going farther up. Owing 

 to this arrangement the lower part of the river from this rail- 

 ing to the mouth forms a large natural fish pond (three hun- 

 dred and thirty miles in length) where the fish are carefully 

 watched by a great many fishwardens until the regular time for 



FIG. 5. FALL FISHING ON THE URAL KIVER. WAITING FOR A CANNON-SHOT SIGNAL. 



fishing, which is fixed by general consent of the community. It 

 is easy to understand what a thorough organization is necessary 

 to conduct successfully this complicated plan for the distance of 

 three hundred and thirty miles, and which has to deal with more 

 than ten thousand fishermen. It is indeed a complete organiza- 

 tion. The central administration, residing in Uralsk, controls 

 all this business, assisted by numbers of local agents through the 

 whole country. A steam cruiser, steam launch, and a number of 

 sailboats constantly watch the mouth of the river and the neigh- 

 boring banks and protect them from poachers. It should be 

 mentioned that the river, with its fishing grounds and part of 

 the Caspian Sea, belong to this entire community, consisting of 

 a hundred and ten thousand people. There is no private property 

 belonging to individuals or villages adjacent to the river, and an 

 elaborate and detailed general plan must exist to regulate all this 

 immense business in such a manner that the interest and rights 

 of every member of the community shall be properly protected. 



